Who Are Eligible for Hospice Care?

Whether the hospice services are given in a skilled nursing facility, a hospital, or in-home care in California, the services, staff, and eligibility requirements remain the same. However, medical care institutions like hospitals and skilled nursing have more advanced facilities compared to receiving hospice care at home. 

Since hospice care in Montclair, California only caters to terminally ill patients with less than 6 months to live, the first requirement to be eligible for hospice admission is a physician’s recommendation. The continuous declining health status of the patient is determined either through a palliative performance scale rating of less than or equal to 50 to 60% or dependence in 3 out of 6 activities of daily living.

Unlike palliative care in California where patients and their families actively seek treatment, hospices only improve the quality of a patient’s life and make the dying process as comfortable as possible.

Another determining factor is when the patient has lost at least 10% of body weight within the last 4 to 6 months. The overall decline of health condition is noticeable along with increasing hospital admissions over the past 4 to 6 months, decreased level of responsiveness to curative treatment, and reduced cognitive function. Depending on the agency and preference of the patient, medical, emotional, spiritual, and social support can be provided in a hospice facility or by a home care provider in California.

Kattleya Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc provides facility-based hospice care services to patients with advanced and incurable diseases of all ages. Palliative care is also available in our facility. Contact us if you have questions about our services and rates.